MISSIONARY  HEROES  COURSE 

LIFE  STORIES  OF  GREAT  MISSIONARIES  FOR 

TEEN  AGE  BOYS 

ARRANGED  IN  PROGRAMS 


Ion  Keith-Falconer 

Defender  of  the  Faith  in  Arabia 


SOURCE  BOOK 


“ION  KEITH-FALCONER  OF  ARABIA” 

By  JAMES  ROBSON 


Program  Prepared  by 

FLOYD  L.  CARR 


Baptist  Board  of  Education 

DEPARTMENT  OF  MISSIONARY  EDUCATION 
276  FIFTH  AVENUE.  NEW  YORK  CITY 


Course  No .  1 


jj^ninninniiiiiniiiiiii  n  n  r  h  rngiutuu  liuuuimnniii  iiiiiimnmuiniiLLRiiiiiiiti 


Ion  Keith-Falconer 

Defender  of  the  Faith  in  Arabia 


SOURCE  BOOK 

“Ion  Keith-Falconer  of  Arabia” 
By  James  Robson 


Baptist  Board  of  Education 


DEPARTMENT  OF  MISSIONARY  EDUCATION 

276  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 


OUTLINE 


PAGE 

Introductory  Statement . 2 

Program  for  Meeting  .  3 

Lite  Sketch .  4 

Life  Incidents  .  6 


Program  based  on  “Ion  Keith-Falconer  of  Arabia” 

by  James  Robson 
Doran,  $1.50 

FOREWORD 

THE  Missionary  Heroes  Course  for  Boys  meets  a  real  need. 

It  is  a  series  of  missionary  programs  for  boys,  based  on  great 
biographies  which  every  boy  should  know.  Course  Number  One, 
now  available,  provides  programs  for  the  ensuing  twelve  months 
and  may  be  used  in  the  monthly  meetings  of  boys’  groups. 
Other  courses  are  in  preparation  and  will  be  issued  for  subse¬ 
quent  years. 

It  is  suggested  that  the  leader  purchase  three  copies  of  each 
leaflet;  one  to  be  kept  for  reference  and  the  other  two  to  be 
cut  up  to  provide  each  boy  with  his  assigned  part.  In  order  to 
tie  together  the  life  incidents  as  they  are  presented  by  the  boys, 
the  leader  should  master  the  facts  outlined  in  the  biographical 
sketch  and  read  carefully  the  volume  upon  which  the  program 
is  based.  These  volumes  are  missionary  classics  and  may  be 
made  the  basis  of  a  worth-while  library  of  Christian  adventure. 

Boys  are  keenly  interested  in  stories  of  adventure  and 
achievement  and  it  is  hoped  that  participation  in  the  programs 
will  lead  many  of  the  lads  to  read  these  great  missionary  biog¬ 
raphies.  Attention  is  called  to  the  eleven  other  life-story  pro¬ 
grams  in  the  series  now  available  for  Course  Number  One,  and 
to  the  series  now  in  preparation  for  the  ensuing  year,  both  of 
which  are  listed  on  the  last  page.  The  books  upon  which  these 
programs  are  based  can  be  ordered  from  the  nearest  literature 
headquarters.  Portraits  of  these  missionary  heroes  will  also  lie 
made  available  for  purchase. 

While  these  programs  have  been  developed  to  meet  the  needs 
of  boys’  organizations  of  all  types — i.e.,  Organized  Classes,  Boy 
Scouts,  Knights  of  King  Arthur,  Kappa  Sigma  Pi,  etc. — they 
were  especially  prepared  for  the  chapters  of  the  Royal  Ambas¬ 
sadors,  a  missionary  organization  for  teen  age  boys,  originating 
in  the  southland  and  recently  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  North¬ 
ern  Baptist  Convention  by  the  Department  of  Missionary  Edu¬ 
cation.  We  commend  these  materials  to  all  lovers  of  boys. 

William  A.  Hill. 


PROGRAM  FOR  MEETING 


1.  Scripture  Lessons:  Hebrews  12:1-4;  verses  1-2  were  quoted 
in  a  telegram  to  the  committee  when  notifying  them  of 
his  inability  to  enter  the  University  Champion  Bicycle  Race 
(see  “Ion  Keith-Falconer  of  Arabia’’  by  James  Robson 
page  45.) 

2.  Prayer. 

3.  Hymn:  “Beneath  the  Cross  of  Jesus”  (this  hymn  expresses 
not  only  the  climatic  hardships  of  life  in  Arabia  but  also 
the  testimony  of  a  Confessor  of  the  Faith  in  the  midst  of 
the  Muslims).’ 

4.  Introduction  to  Life  Story #  (based  on  pages  1-17  of  above 
book) . 

5.  His  Success  as  a  Student  (pages  18-19,  20-22). 

6.  A  Champion  Cyclist  (pages  26-28,  29-30). 

7.  Interest  in  Practical  Christianity  (pages  41-44,  46-47,  48). 

8.  Factors  in  His  Life  Decision  (pages  66-67,  69-70,  76-77). 

9.  Decision  and  Plans  for  Sheikh  Othman  (pages  86-89). 

10.  Life  in  the  “Shanty”  (pages  123-124,  124-126,  129-130). 

11.  Opening  Medical  Work  (pages  133-135). 

12.  The  Losing  Struggle  with  Fever  (pages  147-148,  155-157). 

13.  Attaining  His  Coronation  (pages  158-159). 


*  The  leader  should  read  the  brief  sketch  in  this  leaflet  and  Robson’s  “Ion  Keith- 
Falconer  of  Arabia,”  in  order,  as  the  program  progresses,  to  fill  the  gaps  between  the 
assignments. 


3 


SKETCH  OF  ION  KEITH-FALCONER, 
MISSIONARY  TO  ARABIA 


DESCENDED  from  heroic  forebears,  of  noble  birth  and 
with  godly  parents,  Ion  Keith-Falconer  seemed  destined 
from  birth  to  a  great  life.  He  was  born  at  Edinburgh  on 
July  5,  1856,  and  his  early  years  were  mainly  spent  at  the 
family  seat  of  Keith  Hall,  near  Inverurie,  in  Aberdeenshire. 

In  October,  1874,  he  entered  Trinity  College,  Cambridge, 
where  he  earnestly  applied  himself  to  his  studies.  At  first  he 
determined  to  specialize  in  mathematics  but  later  followed  his 
natural  bent  and  changed  to  theology.  He  was  a  prizeman 
year  after  year  during  his  course  and  received  many  academic 
honors. 

He  was  not  only  a  brilliant  student,  he  was  also  an  expert 
cyclist.  He  was  elected  Vice-President  of  the  University  Cyclist 
Club  several  months  before  he  entered  college.  He  had  the 
build  of  an  athlete,  being  six  feet  three  inches  in  height  and 
broad  proportionally.  During  his  University  course  he  won 
many  bicycle  races  and  made  several  records.  On  May  11, 
1878,  in  a  two-mile  race,  he  gained  the  title  of  “  Short  Distance 
Champion,”  and  in  October  of  that  year  he  won  a  five-mile 
race,  beating  John  Keen,  the  professional  champion. 

The  deeper  interests  of  life  also  claimed  attention  during 
his  student  days.  In  the  autumn  of  1878,  he  took  an  active 
share  in  the  purchase  of  the  Royal  Theatre  in  the  Barnwell 
district  of  Cambridge,  which  was  converted  into  a  mission  hall. 
He  also  cooperated  with  F.  N.  Charrington,  the  son  of  a 
prominent  brewer  who  had  renounced  his  inheritance  and  en¬ 
gaged  in  Christian  work. 

The  University  course  completed,  in  October  he  went  to 
Leipzig,  Germany,  to  continue  his  studies  in  Arabic.  Wishing 
to  supplement  his  knowledge  of  classical  Arabic  with  that  of 
the  colloquial  language,  he  went  the  following  fall  to  Assiout, 
Egypt.  Here  he  made  good  progress  in  the  language  during 
a  stay  of  four  months. 

On  March  4,  1884,  he  was  married  to  Gwendolen  Bevan. 
After  a  tour  of  Italy  they  returned  to  Cambridge  where  he 
was  serving  as  one  of  the  University  Examiners.  But  his  mind 
had  for  some  time  been  filled  with  the  idea  of  undertaking 
missionary  work  in  Arabia.  This  crystallized  into  a  life-purpose 

4 


after  an  interview  with  Major-General  Haig  who  had  in 
February  1885,  published  an  article  in  The  Christian  urging 
missionary  work  in  Arabia.  On  September  14,  1885,  he  was 
accepted  as  a  missionary  to  Arabia  by  the  Free  Church  of 
Scotland. 

Ion  Keith-Falconer  sailed  from  London  with  his  wife  on 
October  7,  1885,  and  arrived  at  Aden  on  October  28.  He  spent 
the  winter  in  surveying  the  situation,  studying  the  people  and 
reading  and  talking  Arabic.  He  visited  Sheikh  Othman  and 
decided  that  it  would  be  a  more  suitable  place  than  Aden  to 
establish  his  mission ;  its  climate  being  less  enervating  and  its 
position  more  central.  On  March  6,  1886,  he  sailed  for  Eng¬ 
land  to  secure  a  doctor  as  a  colleague. 

In  the  fall  he  sailed  again  for  Arabia  and  arrived  at  Aden 
on  December  8,  1886.  Dr.  Cowen  who  was  to  assist  him  with 
the  medical  work  had  arrived  the  preceding  day.  While  super¬ 
vising  the  erection  of  a  house  at  Sheikh  Othman,  he  had  hoped 
to  rent  an  attractive  bungalow  in  the  village,  but  the  cupidity 
of  the  owner  made  this  qnwise.  He  found  a  small  hut,  forty 
feet  square,  which  the  owner  was  willing  to  alter  and  to  let. 
He  termed  it  “the  shanty,”  but  set  about  making  it  habitable 
as  temporary  quarters. 

A  rude  hospital  was  erected  in  the  compound,  measuring 
only  fifteen  feet  by  twelve,  yet,  small  as  it  was,  it  contained 
beds  for  three  in-patients.  During  the  first  six  weeks  of  its 
operation  about  three  hundred  visits  had  been  paid  to  the 
dispensary  and  the  fame  of  the  new  doctor  was  spreading. 

On  January  24,  1887,  Ion  Keith-Falconer  accompanied  Doc¬ 
tor  Cowen  to  the  neighboring  village  of  Bir  Ahmad  to  enlarge 
the  range  of  their  usefulness.  Two  weeks  later  on  February 
9,  he  again  visited  Bir  Ahmad  with  Dr.  Cowen.  This  was  his 
last  missionary  journey,  for  the  next  day  he  had  the  first  of 
many  repeated  attacks  of  the  fever  from  which  he  died.  For 
a  time  he  seemed  to  gain,  but  during  April  he  had  two  other 
severe  attacks.  He  was  again  convalescing  and  on  May  5th 
even  rode  to  view  the  new  house.  But  the  next  morning  the 
fever  returned  and  by  the  10th  a  nurse  was  summoned.  Just 
about  dawn  on  May  11,  1887,  his  soul  passed  from  the  hut  in 
Arabia  to  the  mansions  of  light. 

James  Robson  closes  his  story  of  this  immortal  life  with  the 
words : 

“He  died  at  just  Henry  Martyn’s  age”  in  his  31st  year  and 
like  him  devoting  his  life  for  the  sake  of  winning  the  Muslims. 
The  work  at  Sheikh  Othman  which  he  laid  down  his  life  to 
found,  was  taken  up  by  loyal  hands.  “Being  dead,  he  yet 
speaketh.  ” 


5 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF 
ION  KEITII-FALCONER 

Reprinted  from  <(Ion  Keith-Falconer  of  Arabia ” 

by  James  Robson 

By  permission  of  the  publishers,  George  II.  Doran  Co. 

His  Success  as  a  Student .  (P.  18-19 ,  20-22.) 

In  October  1874  Keith-Falconer  entered  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge.  He  did  not  reside  in  College,  but  bad  rooms  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Market  Square.  The  noise  and  bustle  of 
such  a  district  would  normally  make  it  most  unsuitable  for  a 
student,  but  he  enjoyed  it.  When  he  was  at  Hitchin  he  seems 
to  have  appreciated  the  songs  of  the  boys  outside  and  the 
ringing  of  the  bells.  He  had  such  powers  of  concentration 
that,  when  he  was  studying,  no  noise  was  able  to  distract  him. 
He  enjoyed  the  situation  of  his  rooms  at  Cambridge,  and  at 
times,  when  he  was  resting  from  his  study,  he  took  a  great 
interest  in  watching  the  people  going  busily  about  their  work. 

At  the  beginning  of  his  course  he  intended  to  read  for 
Honours  in  the  Mathematical  Tripos,  and  accordingly  his  first 
session  was  devoted  to  this  subject;  but  his  heart  was  not  alto¬ 
gether  in  the  work,  and  in  his  second  year  he  changed  and 
began  to  read  for  Honours  in  the  Theological  Tripos.  This 
change  was  not  made  because  he  had  found  himself  unable  for 
the  studies  which  he  had  undertaken;  it  was  wholly  due  to  the 
fact  that  he  did  not  have  a  real  interest  in  them.  He  had  been 
quite  successful  in  his  first  year’s  work,  for  he  had  obtained 
a  First  Class,  and  was  a  prizeman ;  but  he  was  not  satisfied, 
so  he  decided  to  adopt  the  unusual  course  of  changing  his 
subject  of  study.  It  was  a  wise  decision,  for  it  enabled  him 
to  devote  himself  to  a  line  of  study  that  he  could  take  up 
with  his  whole  heart,  and  in  which  he  was  to  prove  himself 
notably  successful.  .  .  . 

The  maximum  number  of  papers  set  for  the  Theological 
Tripos  was  fifteen,  of  which  six  were  necessary  to  pass.  The 
fifteenth  was  a  special  paper  for  the  Hebrew  prize.  With 
characteristic  thoroughness  Keith-Falconer  prepared  himself  for 
the  whole  fifteen,  a  heavy  programme  of  work,  which  might 

6 


well  have  occupied  all  his  time ;  yet  in  the  course  of  it  he  sat 
an  examination  for  proficiency  in  the  Greek  of  the  Septuagint, 
and  was  successful  in  gaining  one  of  the  prizes.  In  addition 
to  this,  he  was  a  prizeman  at  the  annual  College  examinations 
in  June  1876  and  1877.  The  Tripos  examination  was  held  in 
January  1878.  ITis  hard  work  had  had  its  effect  on  his  general 
fitness,  and  he  was  in  need  of  rest;  then,  in  December  1877, 
the  month  before  his  examination,  his  younger  brother  died. 
This  was  a  great  blow  to  him ;  but  he  went  forward  to  his 
examination,  and  was  one  of  the  six  whose  names  appeared  in 
the  first  .class.  He  was  also  awarded  the  Hebrew  prize,  and  on 
the  Saturday  after  the  announcement  of  the  result  he  graduated 
B.A. 

He  spent  his  time  till  the  following  October  in  a  more 
leisurely  fashion,  and  then  set  out  to  undertake  more  serious 
study.  He  began  to  work  for  the  Tyrwhitt  University  Hebrew 
Scholarships,  the  examination  for  which  was  to  be  held  in  May 
1879;  and  also  for  the  Semitic  Languages  Tripos  to  be  held  in 
February  1880.  When  the  time  came,  he  was  elected  a  Tyrwhitt 
scholar,  and  in  the  following  year  he  was  placed  in  the  first 
class  in  the  Semitic  Languages  Tripos.  This  latter  examination 
had  introduced  him  to  the  study  of  Arabic,  the  language  that 
he  was  to  use  later  in  the  missionary  work  that  lay  before  him. 

This  account  of  his  University  successes  has  been  short,  but 
behind  it  lies  concealed  an  immense  amount  of  work,  which 
was  not  only  undertaken  with  enthusiasm;  it  was  eminently 
successful,  as  is  shown  by  the  results. 


A  Champion  Cyclist.  (P.  26-28 20-30.) 


During  his  University  course  he  won  many  bicycle  races 
and  made  several  records.  In  May  1875  he  won  a  fifty-mile 
race  for  Cambridge  against  Oxford,  the  race  being  run  from 
St.  Albans  to  Oxford.  In  April  1876,  he  won  the  Amateur 
Championship  Four-Mile  Race  at  Lillie  Bridge  in  the  fastest 
time  then  on  record.  On  1st  May,  1877,  he  was  elected  President 
of  the  London  Bicycle  Club,  and  was  annually  re-elected  Presi¬ 
dent  for  nine  years,  till  he  resigned  before  leaving  England 
for  the  last  time. 


In  1877,  in  the  Inter-University  races  at  Oxford,  he  rode 
the  two-mile  race  in  6  minutes  1  second,  the  ten-mile  race  in 
32  minutes  25  seconds,  and  the  twenty-five-mile  race  in  1  hour 
30  minutes  25  seconds,  all  of  which  were  at  that  time  the 
amateur  records.  On  11th  May  1878,  in  the  two-mile  race  of 
the  National  Cyclists’  Union,  he  gained  the  title  of  “ Short  Dis- 


7 


tance  Champion,”  and  in  October  of  that  year  he  won  a  five- 
mile  race  open  to  amateurs  and  professionals,  beating  John 
Keen,  the  professional  champion,  by  five  yards.  Keen  was  a 
man  for  whom  Keith-Falconer  had  a  great  admiration,  saying 
of  him  that  his  soul  was  above  prizes,  and  that  he  was  a  man 
whom  one  should  be  proud  to  call  a  friend.  This  victory  over 
Keen  is  all  the  more  notable  because  Keith-Falconer  had  for¬ 
gotten  everything  about  the  race  until  he  was  reminded  of  it 
nine  days  before  it  was  to  be  run.  In  a  letter  to  Sir  (then  Mr.) 
Isaac  Pitman,  he  describes  how  he  trained  during  those  nine 
days : 

44 1  immediately  began  to  make  my  preparations  and  to  train 
hard.  The  first  great  thing  was  to  knock  off  smoking,  which 
I  did.  Next,  to  rise  early  in  the  morning,  and  breathe  the 
fresh  air  before  breakfast,  which  I  did ;  next,  to  eat  wholesome 
food  and  not  too  much  meat  or  pastry,  which  I  did;  and  finally, 
to  take  plenty  of  gentle  exercise  in  the  open  air,  which  I  did. 

“What  was  the  result?  I  met  Keen  on  Wednesday  last, 
the  23rd  October,  and  amidst  the  most  deafening  applause,  or 
rather  yells  of  delight,  this  David  slew  the  great  Goliath :  to 
speak  in  plain  language,  I  defeated  Keen  by  about  five 
yards.  ”... 

He  says  further:  “When  the  race  was  going  on,  I  thought 
actually  that  we  were  going  slowly  and  that  the  time  would 
be  bad,  and  the  reason  was,  I  was  in  such  beautiful  condition. 
I  did  not  perspire  or  4 blow’  from  beginning  to  end.  And  that 
after  only  nine  days  ’  training  !  ’  ’ 

In  the  following  May  he  defeated  John  Keen  in  a  two-mile 
race  by  three  inches.  The  time  was  5  minutes  36  3-5  seconds, 
a  record  not  beaten  for  several  years.  Three  days  later,  he 
made  a  record  for  the  twenty-mile  race,  winning  it  by  sixteen 
yards  in  1  hour  4  minutes  15  3-5  seconds.  He  had  a  wonderful 
power  of  making  a  final  spurt,  in  which  his  opponents  were 
left  behind.  In  this  twenty-mile  race  all  the  competitors  but 
Keith-Falconer  and  another  had  fallen  out.  He  contented  him¬ 
self  by  keeping  behind  the  other  till  the  last  two  hundred 
yards ;  then  came  an  astonishing  spurt,  and  he  won  easily.  What 
makes  these  races  all  the  more  remarkable  is  that  in  the  pre¬ 
ceding  week  he  had  sat  the  examination  for  the  Tyrwhitt 
Scholarships,  an  examination  which  lasted  four  days,  with  six 
hours’  examination  each  day.  A  man  who  could  break  records 
within  a  few  days  after  such  an  ordeal  was  no  ordinary  man. 

On  29th  July  1882,  he  won  his  last  race  of  any  importance. 
It  was  the  fifty-mile  Bicycle  Union  Amateur  Championship  at 

8 


the  Crystal  Palace.  His  time  was  2  hours  43  minutes  58  3-5 
seconds.  This  time  not  only  gave  him  the  title  of  Amateur 
Champion;  it  beat  by  seven  minutes  all  previous  records. 

Interest  in  Practical  Christianity.  ( P .  41-44,  40-47, 

48.) 

Another  branch  of  home  mission  work  in  which  he  was 
keenly  interested  was  the  Tower  Hamlets  Mission  in  the  Mile- 
End  Road,  London.  This  work  was  started  and  is  still  being 
carried  on  by  Mr.  P.  N.  Charrington,  who  first  met  Keith- 
Falconer  when  he  visited  Keith  Hall  during  a  walking  tour. 

When  Mr.  Charrington  was  a  young  man,  he  was  faced 
with  a  problem  that  few  would  have  the  courage  to  meet. 
His  father  was  one  of  the  partners  in  the  brewery  firm  of 
Messrs.  Charrington  and  Head,  and  it  was  only  natural  that 
Mr.  P.  N.  Charrington,  his  oldest  son,  should  take  his  share 
in  the  business.  But  one  day,  outside  a  public-house  owned 
by  his  firm,  he  saw  a  man  knocking  his  wife  into  the  gutter, 
which  made  him  feel  that  by  becoming  a  partner  he  would  be 
responsible  for  such  scenes.  In  thinking  over  that  sight  he 
said  to  himself :  “  Well,  you  have  knocked  your  poor  wife  down, 
and  with  the  same  blow  you  have  knocked  me  out  of  the  brewery 
business.”  He  refused  to  accept  the  position  waiting  for  him, 
thus  sacrificing,  as  his  biographer  says,  a  sum  of  a  million  and 
a  quarter  pounds. 

At  first  he  had  helped  in  a  night  school  held  in  a  hayloft 
over  a  stable;  soon  a  schoolroom  was  taken;  then  a  boys’  home 
was  started.  One  of  the  results  of  this  work  was  that  a  gang 
of  young  thieves  was  broken  up,  because  several  of  its  members, 
including  the  leader,  had  been  influenced  for  good.  In  1872, 
the  East-End  Conference  Hall  was  opened,  a  building  capable 
of  holding  over  six  hundred,  and  work  was  carried  on  there 
until  it  became  too  small  for  all  that  was  being  done.  The  next 
move  was  to  the  Mile-End  Road,  where  a  tent  was  erected  on  a 
large  piece  of  ground  which  had  previously  been  used  as  a  show- 
ground,  and  services  were  held  in  that  tent  every  night  for 
two  summers.  Then  a  better  site  was  obtained  at  the  broadest 
part  of  the  Mile-End  Road,  and  the  largest  tent  was  superseded 
later  by  the  first  great  Assembly  Hall,  capable  of  holding  about 
two  thousand.  This  was  a  temporary  building  of  corrugated 
iron,  and  was  open  every  night  of  the  week,  with  an  attendance 
of  over  six  hundred  on  week-nights.  On  Sunday  nights  many 
had  to  be  turned  away,  so  large  were  the  numbers  who  came. 

Since  the  work  at  the  Assembly  Hall,  great  as  it  was,  did 

9 


not  cover  all  that  might  be  done,  it  was  supplemented  by  evange¬ 
listic  services  in  music-halls.  Every  means  possible  was  used 
to  raise  the  people,  and  to  give  them  pure  and  healthy  inter¬ 
ests.  .  .  . 

The  winter  of  1879  was  very  severe.  During  that  time 
the  workers  in  the  mission  helped  greatly  to  feed  those  who 
were  in  want.  Keith-Falconer  tells  how  multitudes  were  literally 
starving.  Employment  was  scarce.  “Hundreds  of  men  were 
waiting  daily  at  the  Docks  in  the  hope  (nearly  always  a  dis¬ 
appointed  hope)  of  a  job.”  The  result  was  starvation.  “Starving 
men  were  found  in  several  instances  eating  muddy  orange  peel 
picked  off  the  road.”  The  work  that  was  being  done  by  the 
mission  aroused  great  interest,  and  was  made  public  by  means 
of  correspondence  in  some  of  the  daily  papers ;  many  came  to 
see  what  was  being  done,  and  helped  liberally  with  donations, 
so  that  during  a  period  of  over  six  weeks,  twenty  thousand 
meals  were  given,  and  over  three  hundred  families  were  helped 
every  week  in  their  houses. 

He  took  an  active  share  in  the  efforts  made  to  replace 
the  Assembly  Hall  by  a  permanent  building.  The  ultimate  cost, 
including  the  site,  was  over  £40,000.  Keith-Falconer  wrote  a 
pamphlet  on  the  proposed  new  hall,  which  described  the  needs 
in  a  remarkably  clear  and  succinct  manner.  It  was  a  model 
appeal  for  funds.  It  told  clearly  what  was  required,  giving 
reasons  for  everything,  and  described  the  principles  on  which 
the  work  was  based.  He  not  only  appealed  for  funds ;  he  also 
gave  liberally  himself,  his  own  donations  amounting  to  £2,000. 

Factors  in  His  Life  Decision.  ( P.  66-67 ,  60-70,  76-77.) 

It  was  towards  the  end  of  1884  that  he  seems  to  have  first 
thought  definitely  of  going  out  as  a  foreign  missionary.  One 
of  his  missionary  heroes  was  Dr.  John  Wilson  of  Bombay,  of 
whom  he  was  accustomed  to  speak  in  glowing  terms.  He  was 
enthusiastic  about  Dr.  George  Smith’s  Life  of  John  Wilson , 
which  revealed  to  him  Dr.  Wilson’s  great  ability  as  well  as 
his  efforts  to  help  the  people  of  India.  He  took  a  great  delight 
in  reading  missionary  biographies. 

Another  influence  towards  the  mission  field  was  the  accep¬ 
tance  of  his  friend,  Mr.  C.  T.  Studd,  for  service  by  China 
Inland  Mission.  Keith-Falconer  and  his  wife  were  present  at 
the  farewell  meeting  to  Mr.  Studd  at  Cambridge  early  in  1885, 
and  also  at  the  meeting  at  Oxford.  It  can  readily  be  under¬ 
stood  how  one  like  Keith-Falconer,  who  was  keenly  interested 
in  the  advance  of  God’s  Kingdom  in  the  world,  should  have 


10 


had  his  imagination  fired  by  such  an  event,  and  should  have 
felt  that  he  too  ought  to  take  his  share  in  the  work  of  the 
foreign  field.  .  .  . 

Major-General  Haig,  R.  E.,  had  written  a  paper  strongly 
advocating  the  evangelization  of  Arabia.  A  summary  of  this 
paper  was  published  in  The  Christian  in  February  1885,  where 
Keith-Falconer  read  it.  His  mind  was  fired  with  the  idea  that 
he  might  help  to  carry  out  the  General's  desire.  Without  delay 
he  asked  for  an  interview  with  General  Haig,  and  met  him  in 
London  on  21st  February.  General  Haig  said  of  that  interview : 
“My  impression  of  that  conversation  was  that  he  came  not  only 
to  -get  information,  but  to  say  that  his  mind  was  already  made 
up  to  go  out  for  six  months  and  see  what  the  place  and  prospects 
of  work  were  like.  We  joined  in  prayer  that  he  might  be  guided 
and  blest  in  all  his  thoughts  about  Arabia.”  .  .  . 

Keith-Falconer  was  going  out  to  Aden  at  his  own  expense, 
but  he  felt  that  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  go  out  as  a  freelance, 
for  by  offering  himself  as  a  recognized  missionary  of  some  so¬ 
ciety  he  would  have  the  sympathy  and  support  of  a  large  body 
of  people  at  home.  He  had  spent  most  of  his  life  in  England, 
and  had  been  educated  there,  but  his  heart  was  still  true  to 
the  Church  of  which  his  father  had  been  an  elder;  so  on  14th 
September  1885,  he  met  with  the  Foreign  Mission  Committee 
of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  described  the  work  he  intended 
to  do,  and  asked  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  their  missionaries. 
This  proposal  was  gladly  accepted,  and  he  went  out  as  a  mis¬ 
sionary  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland. 


Decision  and  Plans  for  Sheikh  Othman .  ( P.  86-80.) 

He  had  not  been  long  in  Aden  when  he  recognized  that 
Sheikh  Othman  would  be  the  most  suitable  place  for  a  mission 
station.  It  was  a  village  on  the  mainland  about  eight  miles 
from  the  Crater  and  ten  from  Steamer  Point,  and  had,  as 
it  still  has,  several  advantages  over  Aden.  It  has  a  more 
pleasant  climate  than  most  parts  of  the  peninsula.  Practically 
all  the  year  round  the  nights  are  cool,  a  very  valuable  point, 
for  the  opportunity  of  a  good  sleep  at  night  makes  up  for  a 
great  deal.  There  is  a  considerable  amount  of  vegetation  at 
Sheikh  Othman.  It  is  on  the  edge  of  the  desert,  and  cannot 
boast  of  any  grass,  but  there  are  large  numbers  of  trees  and 
some  large  numbers  of  date-palms.  These  points  are  of  im¬ 
portance  for  the  comfort  of  the  missionary.  But  apart  from 
having  more  greenery  than  Aden,  Sheikh  Othman  has  another 
great  reason  for  being  a  good  place  for  a  mission  station.  It 

11 


\ 


is  on  the  trade  routes  from  the  interior,  and  all  the  caravans 
that  make  their  way  into  Aden  must  pass  through  it.  Thus 
it  affords  an  opportunity  of  getting  into  touch  with  people 
from  many  parts  of  Arabia  to  which  the  missionary  cannot  go 
himself.  Arabia  was,  in  Keith-Falconer ’s  time,  and  is  still, 
practically  a  closed  land.  It  can  thus  readily  be  seen  how 
Sheikh  Othman  is  in  a  strategic  position.  Being  a  smaller  place 
than  Aden  it  is  easier  there  to  meet  and  influence  those  who 
pass  through  in  caravans. 

At  that  time,  too,  there  was  some  talk  of  the  Church  Mis¬ 
sionary  Society  commencing  work  in  Aden,  and  Keith-Falconer 
felt  that  by  moving  out  to  Sheikh  Othman  he  would  leave  Aden 
as  a  field  for  that  society.  While  he  hoped  to  work  in  coopera¬ 
tion  with  any  others  who  should  come,  he  wisely  decided  that 
it  would  be  better  for  the  two  missions  to  have  definite  spheres 
of  work,  so  that  there  should  be  no  overlapping. 

The  work  that  Keith-Falconer  hoped  to  start  at  Sheikh 
Othman  consisted  of  an  industrial  refuge,  a  day-school,  and  a 
surgery.  He  felt  strongly  that  work  among  the  children  and 
medical  work  were  among  the  principal  doors  to  Arabia.  It 
seemed  to  him  to  be  well-nigh  impossible  to  do  much  with 
Muslim  adults.  But  he  was  sure  that  much  might  be  done  with 
the  children.  He  had  found  that  there  was  not  even  one  in  Aden 
whom  he  could  call  a  good  carpenter,  a  fact  which  made  the 
idea  of  the  industrial  refuge  appear  more  valuable.  Much  good 
could  be  done  if  the  boys  were  taught  a  trade  while,  at  the  same 
time,  they  were  brought  up  in  the  Christian  faith.  Medical 
work,  too,  provided  great  opportunities,  for  Arabs  frequently 
came  long  distances  to  the  Government  hospital  at  Aden  for 
treatment.  If  a  surgery  and  dispensary  were  opened  at  Sheikh 
Othman  these  people  would  probably  come  there  where  they 
would  hear  the  message  of  the  Cross. 

Life  in  the  “Shanty.”  (P.  123-124,  124-126,  120-130.) 

Keith-Falconer  describes  the  hut  which  he  succeeded  in 
renting  thus :  “It  is  a  roof  on  four  pillars  with  walls  of  iron 
lattice,  the  roof  extending  beyond  the  pillars  on  all  sides.  By 
putting  in  three  wooden  partitions,  a  dwelling-house,  with  veran¬ 
dah,  two  bedrooms,  and  sitting-room  (used  also  for  eating  and 
studying)  is  created.  The  house  stands  in  a  garden,  and  both 
belong  to  an  Indian  merchant.  The  servants  will  live  in  offices 
made  of  mud  bricks,  with  rooms  of  bamboo  and  matting.” 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  such  a  house  was  not  a  suitable 
one  for  Europeans  to  inhabit  in  the  tropics.  It  might  have  been 
good  enough  for  cold  weather,  but  there  was  little  or  no  hope 

12 


of  having  a  bungalow  built  by  the  beginning  of  the  hot  weather. 
Things  might  have  been  very  different  if  Keith-Falconer  could 
only  have  rented  Hassan  Ali’s  bungalow;  but  he  felt  that  he 
could  not  reopen  the  bargaining  after  the  way  in  which  he 
had  been  treated  when  he  first  of  all  offered  to  rent  it.  .  .  . 

Keith-Falconer  and  Dr.  Cowen  exerted  themselves  to  get 
their  hut  in  order,  or  the  “shanty,”  as  Keith-Falconer  called  it, 
so  as  to  be  ready  for  Mrs.  Keith-Falconer,  who  was  to  come 
out  there  to  live  on  12th  January.  A  thatch  roof  was  put 
over  the  existing  roof  to  give  more  protection  from  the  sun. 
At  this  time  Keith-Falconer  wrote :  ‘  ‘  Our  temporary  quarters 

are  very  comfortable.”  About  a  fortnight  later  he  wrote  again: 
“We  have  at  last  got  our  temporary  abode  in  order.  The  rooms 
are  really  very  comfortable,  and  no  one  need  pity  us  in  the 
least.”  At  a  later  date  Dr.  Cowen  wrote:  “Once  in  our  little 
hut,  we  were  very  well  and  comfortable  for  about  six  weeks, 
but  of  course  it  was  not  a  place  for  continued  sickness,  such 
as  we  had  (though  this  again  could  not  have  been  anticipated), 
and  wdiich  indeed  delayed  the  building  of  our  new  stone 
bungalow  in  which  we  might  reasonably  expect  to  be  well  quite 
two  months  altogether.  All  this,  I  think,  shows  that  every 
precaution  that  care  and  thoughtfulness  could  suggest  was  taken, 
and  that  our  living  in  that  little  hut  was  not  due  to  any  care¬ 
lessness  or  indifference  to  health  on  his  part.  Also  his  firm 
stand  against  Eastern  cupidity  at  the  outset  made  him  more 
respected  even  by  those  who  tried  to  swindle  him ;  and  his 
contentment  and  happiness  in  such  humble  quarters  were  also 
characteristic.”  .  .  . 

At  this  period  he  started  his  work  with  vigour,  and  he 
was  quite  contented  with  the  conditions  in  which  he  had  to 
live.  It  was  different  a  few  months  later,  when  he  had  suffered 
from  several  attacks  of  fever.  Then  he  wrote,  wdth  an  element 
of  sardonic  humour:  “This  rather  miserable  shanty  in  which 
we  are  compelled  to  live  is  largely  the  cause  of  our  fevers. 
It  is  all  draughts.  Our  address  ought  to  be  ‘The  Draughts, 
Sheikh  Othman.  ’  I  sincerely  trust  that  when  we  get  into  our 
house,  which  is  now  six  feet  above  the  ground,  we  shall  be 
exempt  from  this  nuisance.”  But  he  was  not  destined  to  live  in 
that  house.  A  better  mansion  was  already  being  prepared 
for  him  in  a  land  where  fever  should  rack  him  no  more. 

Opening  Medical  Work.  (P.  133-135 .) 

The  Arabs  have  their  own  system  of  medicine,  a  system 
which  in  general  is  similar  to  that  of  mediaeval  Europe.  It 
contains  many  prescriptions  which  are  good,  but  it  consists 


13 


\ 


to  a  great  extent  of  magic,  certain  verses  of  the  Koran  being 
credited  with  mighty  power  to  protect  from  or  cure  disease. 
These  verses  are  written  out  in  form  of  charms  and  are  worn 
by  the  people  in  the  belief  that  they  will  do  their  expected 
duty.  One  woman  not  long  ago  said  that  she  had  burned  her 
arm  and  had  tried  one  kind  of  medicine  after  another  to  no 
purpose ;  but  when  at  last  she  bought  a  charm  and  tied  it  round 
the  burn  it  began  to  heal  at  once.  The  Arabs  have  also  a 
great  belief  in  the  cautery,  which  is  supposed  to  be  of  value 
for  almost  any  kind  of  trouble.  A  few  years  ago  an  Arab, 
who  was  being  treated  for  phthisis  in  one  of  the  Government 
dispensaries,  declared  that  he  did  not  approve  of  the  treatment 
which  he  was  getting.  He  pointed  to  another  man  who  had 
once  had  the  same  trouble  as  he,  and  had  recovered  at  once 
whenever  he  had  been  cauterised.  When  the  people  have  such 
ideas  of  their  own  so  firmly  rooted  in  their  minds,  a  European 
doctor  must  be  able  to  prove  himself  an  efficient  doctor  and 
surgeon  before  he  can  wean  them  away  from  a  belief  in  their 
native  remedies. 

Dr.  Cowen  was  soon  successful  in  gaining  the  confidence 
of  the  people.  The  hut  which  Keith-Falconer  and  he  had 
erected,  in  their  compound,  as  a  consulting  room  and  dispensary, 
was  small,  measuring  only  fifteen  feet  by  twelve,  yet,  small 
as  it  was,  it  contained  beds  for  three  in-patients ;  and  even  at 
a  fairly  early  period  two  people  came  a  distance  of  eight  miles 
for  treatment  and  were  received  as  in-patients.  The  hut  was 
not  much  to  look  at :  it  had  mud  walls  and  a  planked  roof,  to 
which  a  verandah  of  matting  was  added  later ;  but  to  many 
it  proved  to  be  a  very  paradise.  In  the  last  week  of  January 
twenty  new  cases  came  for  treatment,  and  in  six  weeks  about 
three  hundred  visits  had  been  paid  to  the  dispensary,  in  addi¬ 
tion  to  visits  paid  by  the  doctor  to  people  in  their  own  houses — a 
remarkable  record  for  such  a  short  space  of  time.  The  fame 
of  the  new  doctor  was  spreading. 

The  Losing  Struggle  with  Fever.  ( P .  147-148,  155- 

157.) 

The  story  of  the  last  three  months  at  Sheikh  Othman  is 
one  of  continual  struggle  against  sickness.  On  9th  February, 
Keith-Falconer  and  Dr.  Cowen  visited  Bir  Ahmad  a  second  time, 
Keith-Falconer  ?s  last  missionary  visit  outside  Sheikh  Othman; 
for  on  the  following  evening  he  had  the  first  of  many  repeated 
attacks  of  the  fever  from  which  he  died ;  yet  he  was  able  to 
go  out  with  his  wife  to  the  verandah  and  talk  to  some  Somali 


14 


Women  who  had  gathered  there.  Next  day  a  high  fever  de¬ 
veloped  which  lasted  for  some  days,  so  that  Dr.  Colson  was 
called  out  from  Aden  to  see  him.  He  tried  to  encourage  him 
by  telling  him  that  there  was  no  danger  in  the  fever  and  that 
it  left  no  bad  after  effects.  To  make  matters  worse,  the  whole 
establishment  seemed  to  become  ill  at  one  time :  Mrs.  Keith- 
Falconer  took  a  bad  attack  of  fever;  one  of  the  Somali  servants 
went  down  with  fever ;  and  when  Keith-Falconer  was  recovering, 
his  butler  began  to  complain  of  fever.  Fortunately,  Dr.  Cowen 
escaped  it  at  this  time. 

On  the  19th,  Keith-Falconer  was  able  to  get  up  in  the 
evening  for  dinner,  and  two  days  later  he  took  a  walk  in  the 
next  garden.  When  he  was  convalescing  he  said  in  a  letter 
that  he  had  “never  felt  so  utterly  miserable”  in  all  his  life 
as  when  he  was  suffering  from  that  fever;  but  there'  is  one 
remark  in  the  letter  which  would  probably  require  modification 
in  the  light  of  more  recent  knowledge  of  the  subject.  He  said : 
“Quinine  is  quite  useless  in  this  fever,  one  must  simply  grin 
and  bear  it.”  .  .  . 

On  5th  May  he  felt  better,  and  drove  to  the  compound 
where  the  new  house  was  being  erected,  and  spent  more  than 
half  an  hour  there  inspecting  the  progress  of  the  building  and 
giving  instructions  to  the  workmen.  Next  morning,  however, 
he  suffered  another  attack  of  fever.  That  day  he  said  to  his 
wife  :  4 4  Isn  ’t  it  very  strange  ?  I  get  generally  so  depressed  when 
I  am  unwell,  but  now  I  don’t  feel  in  the  least  cast  down.  After 
all  these  weeks  of  illness,  I  feel  in  perfectly  good  spirits.” 

He  still  had  his  Bible,  his  Hebrew  Old  Testament,  and  his 
Hindustanee  Grammar  near  him,  which  he  read  when  he  was 
able.  On  the  8th,  the  fever  was  still  high,  and  he  had  a  severe 
attack  of  ague.  In  the  morning  he  said  to  his  wife:  4 4 How  I 
wish  that  each  attack  of  fever  had  brought  me  nearer  to  Christ, 
nearer,  nearer,  nearer.  ’  ’  By  this  time  he  seemed  to  have  realized 
that  his  death  might  be  near,  for  he  said :  4  4 1  can  most  truly 

say  that  I  am  not  afraid  to  die,  in  spite  of  my  many  short¬ 
comings,  but  I  do  pray  God  that  I  may  be  spared  pain.” 

Attaining  Ilis  Coronation.  (P.  158-159.) 

On  10th  May  the  nurse  came.  That  evening  Keith-Fal¬ 
coner  again  returned  to  the  subject  of  death,  asking  Dr. 
Cowen  if  he  thought  there  was  any  danger.  Dr.  Cowen  tried  to 
encourage  him,  telling  him  that  he  hoped  there  would  be  none; 
but  it  was  in  the  early  hours  of  the  following  morning  that 
he  passed  away. 


15 


Dr.  Cowen  had  left  him  sleeping1  peacefully  at  ten,  when  he 
had  gone  to  take  a  much-needed  night’s  rest;  Mrs.  Keith-Fal- 
coner,  herself  ill,  was  sleeping  in  the  room  next  to  her  husband ; 
and  the  nurse  sat  up  during  the  night  with  him.  He  was  sleeping 
more  calmly  than  he  had  done  for  some  time,  so  at  4  a.m.  the 
nurse  lay  down  beside  his  bed  and  fell  asleep.  About  a  quarter 
to  six  his  wife  came  in  to  see  him,  and  found  him  “  lying  on 
his  back,  with  eyes  half-open,  and  hands  resting  on  the  bed 
by  his  sides.”  It  appeared  that  he  died  in  his  sleep.  His  prayer 
was  granted.  His  death  was  peaceful  and  painless. 

He  died  at  just  Henry  Martyn’s  age,  like  him  devoting 
his  life  for  the  sake  of  winning  the  Muslim.  In  the  evening 
he  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  outside  the  town  of  Crater — - 
a  lonely  spot  in  a  hollow  among  the  rocks,  within  sound  of 
the  waves  of  the  sea.  His  mortal  remains  were  placed  in  a  grave 
there,  far  removed  from  many  whom  he  held  dear;  but  they 
rest  near  the  people  for  whom  he  worked  and  sacrificed. 


16 


SERIES  OF  TWELVE  PROGRAMS 

Course  Number  One 
(Now  available) 

JAMES  CHALMERS,  Martyr  of  New  Guinea 
JAMES  GILMOUR,  Pioneer  in  Mongolia 
WILFRED  T.  GRENFELL,  Knight-Errant  of  the  North 
ADONIRAM  JUDSON,  Herald  of  the  Cross  in  Burma 
ION  KEITH-FALCONER,  Defender  of  the  Faith  in  Arabia 
DAVID  LIVINGSTONE,  Africa’s  Pathfinder  and  Emancipator 
ALEXANDER  M.  MACKAY,  Uganda’s  White  Man  of  Work 
HENRY  MARTYN,  Persia’s  Man  of  God 
ROBERT  MORRISON,  Protestant  Pioneer  in  China 
JOHN  G.  PATON,  King  of  the  Cannibals 
MARY  SLESSOR,  The  White  Queen  of  Calabar 
MARCUS  WHITMAN,  Hero  of  the  Oregon  Country 

Course  Number  Two 
(In  preparation) 

CAPTAIN  LUKE  BICKEL,  Master  Mariner  of  the  Inland  Sea 

WILLIAM  CAREY,  Founder  of  Modern  Missions 

ALEXANDER  DUFF,  India’s  Educational  Pioneer 

MARY  PORTER  GAMEWELL,  Heroine  of  the  Boxer  Rebellion 

FRANK  HIGGINS,  Sky  Pilot  of  the  Lumbermen 

ROBERT  LAWS,  Founder  of  Livingstonia 

RAYMOND  LULL,  First  Missionary  to  the  Moslems 

JOHN  K.  MACKENZIE,  The  Beloved  Physician  of  Tientsin 

JAMES  COLERIDGE  PATTESON,  Martyr  Bishop  of  the  South 
Seas 

ALBERT  L.  SHELTON,  Pioneer  in  Tibet 

J.  HUDSON  TAYLOR,  Organizer  of  the  China  Inland  Mission 

JOHN  WILLIAMS,  Shipbuilder  in  the  South  Seas 


No.  232-M.E.-I-iM-June,  1925 


’ 


l  ;  :  .  ■  ' 


V 


* 


r 


Booklets  25  Cents  Each 

A  reduction  of  50  cents  allowed  if  set  of  12  Booklets 

is  purchased 


